The Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex Final-Round
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The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex Old Course at St. Andrews | St. Andrews, Scotland | July 26-29, 2018 Final-Round Notes Sunday, July 29, 2018 Course Setup: Par 72 / 7,216 yards (R4 average: 73.92; Cumulative: 73.41) Weather: Cloudy with rain through mid-afternoon. High in the low 60s and wind from the SE at 15-25 mph. Media Contact: Chris Richards (678-644-4258) Summary: Miguel Angel Jimenez made a 12-foot par putt on St. Andrews’ 17th hole to preserve a one-stroke lead, and a par on No. 18 gave him the victory over defending champion Bernhard Langer at The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex. Jimenez closed with a final-round 69 and finished with a 12-under total for his second major victory of the year on PGA TOUR Champions. Player To Par Scores Money 1. Miguel Angel Jimenez -12 68-67-72-69 – 276 $314,330 2. Bernhard Langer -11 67-69-73-68 – 277 $209,590 T3. Scott McCarron -10 67-73-70-68 – 278 $97,380 T3. Stephen Ames -10 66-69-74-69 – 278 $97,380 T3. Kirk Triplett -10 65-71-73-69 – 278 $97,380 Quick Links: Leaderboard PGATOURmedia.com (transcripts and other resources available for download) Miguel Angel Jimenez, 68-67-72-69 – 276 (-12) After a birdie on No. 12, Jimenez led by three over Bernhard Langer and Kirk Triplett, who comprised the pairing ahead of Jimenez. The Spaniard’s lead shrank to one when Langer birdied the 15th and Jimenez bogeyed No. 15 behind him. On No. 17, Jimenez hit his approach onto the 18th teeing ground, and he required a 12-foot par putt to complete the up-and-down par. Jimenez becomes the first Spaniard to win The Senior Open Championship, and the second Spaniard to win at St. Andrews (Seve Ballesteros, 1984 Open Championship). Next year, Jimenez will defend his Senior Open title at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, the site of Ballesteros’ two other Open Championship victories. The win is the sixth of Jimenez’s career and second major victory, as he also won the Regions Tradition in May. This is Jimenez’s first multi-win season on PGA TOUR Champions. Jimenez becomes the third straight non-American winner of The Senior Open, following Bernhard Langer (Germany) last year and Paul Broadhurst (England) in 2016. Jimenez finished the week 8-under on the back nine, while Langer was 1-under on the back nine. Jimenez posted top-10s in all five senior majors this season. The last player to accomplish that feat was Bernhard Langer in 2015. He finished with a Tour-best 68.40 scoring average in this year’s five majors. The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex | July 26-29, 2018 Bernhard Langer, 67-69-73-68 – 277 (-11) Playing in the penultimate group, Langer earned a share of the lead twice on the front nine. He trailed by three after bogeying No. 13, but cut the deficit to one with a birdie on No. 15. Needing a birdie on the home hole, Langer hit his approach to the back half of the green, and he settled for a runner-up finish after a two-putt par. Langer did not win a major this year, marking the first time since the 2013 season. The runner-up finish is Langer’s fifth of the season and 32nd of his career. It’s the fourth time he’s had five runner-up finishes in one season (2012, 2013, 2015, 2018). In 11 career starts at The Senior Open, Langer has three wins (2010, 2014, 2017) and three runner-ups (2013, 2015, 2018). In senior major championships, he has a Tour-record 10 victories and seven runner-up finishes. By comparison, Jack Nicklaus’ senior major record included eight wins and five runner-ups, and Hale Irwin won seven times and finished second eight times. Other Notes Playing in the second-to-last group with Langer, Kirk Triplett birdied five of the first 10 holes and shared the lead on three occasions Sunday. He played the last eight holes in 2-over and finished with a final-round 69 and tied for third. It was his 14th top-10 in a senior major, and his second at The Senior Open (T8/2014). Scott McCarron closed with a 3-under 33, the day’s best score on the inward nine, en route to a final-round 68 and a T3 finish at 10-under. It was his fourth top-five finish in the season’s five majors. Stephen Ames was in the top three after all four rounds this week, including T1 after 36 holes. He carded a final-round 69 and finished T3, his best finish and third top-10 in a senior major. Tom Watson, winner of five Open Championships and three Senior Open Championships, carded a final-round 77 and finished T21 at 1-under. Marco Dawson, winner of the 2015 Senior Open Championship, closed with a 4-under 68 and finished T6 at 9- under. Dawson is the last American to win the Senior Claret Jug. Playing in the final pairing with Jimenez, Tom Pernice Jr. finished T6 at 9-under after carding a final-round 70. It was his sixth top-10 in a senior major, and third at The Senior Open Championship. Three players carded four rounds under par: Pernice (T6, 70-68-71-70), Tom Lehman (T6, 68-71-71-69) and Prayad Marksaeng (10th, 70-70-70-71). Saturday’s third-round coverage of The Senior Open Championship delivered a .75 overnight rating, tied for the best third-round at this event (2009). It also was the highest-rated Saturday telecast on PGA TOUR Champions dating back to the 2007 Senior Open on ABC. Next week, PGA TOUR Champions will return to the United States for the 3M Championship in Blaine, Minnesota. Paul Goydos is the defending champion. The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex | July 26-29, 2018 .